PS4 vs Xbox One: Which is a better value?

A lot has been said about the Xbox One’s $499 price tag and how it compares against Sony’s $399 Playstation 4. While on paper it seems like an easy victor for Sony, that may not be entirely true.

Despite my distaste for Microsoft’s bad communication over the past month there are still some Xbox exclusive franchises that will drive sales for the One, especially in America. Some uninformed people will continue to think some multiplatform games (COD, FIFA) are only for Xbox due to ads for these games not mentioning their Playstation counterparts. Microsoft does have some marketing advantages even if it took them over a month to really tell us what the Xbox One can and can’t do.

So what do you get with an Xbox One at launch? Bundling items can help make an expensive purchase seem like a better deal so the inclusion of Kinect may give consumers that impression. Not to mention that Killer Instinct will be free to play but have paid DLC content (like characters) at launch. Microsoft could slap a sticker on Xbox One systems saying, “Killer Instinct included!” and fool unsuspecting consumers.

We can’t forget Kinect 2.0. If the original Kinect retails for around $100 (but probably costing much less than that to produce) it can be assumed that this new Kinect jacks the Xbox One’s price up by $100. If you took out Kinect we could probably have a $400 Xbox One at launch but that isn’t going to happen. The system also ships with a 500GB HDD.

What do we get in the PS4? Well, if you’re a Playstation Plus subscriber you’ll get a version of DriveClub. That essentially means you get a free game with your console but it remains to be seen how this works out. Will DriveClub: PS Plus Edition stand up to the retail version for anyone? Maybe, maybe not but it is a nice bonus.

For $399 you get the PS4 system, one controller and pretty much everything else needed to set up the system.

If you’re interested in Kinect than you probably don’t mind the $100 price difference between PS4/Xbox One. You probably have accepted that the camera adds to the system’s cost. For example, Sony chose not to bundle the Playstation Eye with the PS4 right away as their camera add-on costs $60.

Put one year of Playstation Plus ($50) and the Playstation Eye ($60) into the PS4 and the system will cost you $510. Yes, that’s actually more than an Xbox One that comes with a camera based motion control system.

On paper it doesn’t look so bad for the Xbox One when you look at it this way but we all know that isn’t how most hardcore gamers are viewing things. Part of the reason why Sony did so well with the PS4’s price is because they aren’t forcing Playstation Plus or the Playstation Eye on anyone. That said, a year of Xbox Live Gold is $60 so that effectively makes the Xbox One $560 for some.

Whereas Xbox One says “here’s everything we’ve got and you need it all”, Sony’s PS4 has a much more laid back vibe to it. Simply buy the accessories that you want and nothing more. Play offline using disc based games that don’t utilize motion controls and you’ll be more than content on PS4. Playstation Plus does seem like a required purchase along with the PS4 due to it being required for online play of non-F2P titles. Hey, with a free PS4 game every month it will more than pay itself off shortly after you buy it.

As awesome as PS+ is, it is hard to ignore that it does raise the PS4’s price since it is so important to the console. Some people will opt to not use online play in their PS4 games and won’t want those free versions of PS4 games, but they will likely be in the minority. I’d gladly shell out $50 for a year of Plus but it does raise the PS4’s price to $450 for me on launch day.

All in all, the PS4 is cheaper every way you look at it. It allows you to choose how much you spend on next-gen gaming, not forcing you to do anything you don’t want to. The Xbox One might be considered a better value if you’re interested in Kinect. The $399 price point of the PS4 isn’t good just because it is $100 cheaper, it is a great price because of the freedom it gives to consumers. The freedom to choose how to customize their next-gen gaming experience. The standard Xbox One is a worse value without the inclusion of Gold.

What do you think Microsoft needs to do to soften the blow of the $499 price tag?

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About The Author

I am the editor-in-chief of the entire site and also the editor of the Nintendo news sections on 3DS/DS, Wii and Wii U. I founded Gimme Gimme Games in 2010 and its been growing ever since. Each day it gets bigger and I have all of you to thank for that. I don't know where it will end up but I'm excited to see what happens.

Yello’s Aundv

1 Year Xbox Live Gold is not included (it cost normal), 14 Days are included

gimmegimmekevin

I was referring to the Launch Day Edition that does ship with 1 year, while I pointed out standard edition doesn’t include gold.

I was under the impression that it was included in launch edition bundles since numerous outlets reported that it did. In the haze of E3 week I must have missed where that got debunked, sorry about that. The article has been updated to reflect this.

gamerguy

Nope! They want your MONE!

Yello’s Aundv

Yes… and i think thats another missed chance by MS… The Argumentation that the 500 $ price has a 1 year XBL Gold Code worth of 60 $ sounds good to me….

brianc6234

The PS4 is the definite better value. Real gamers don’t care about crap like Kinect. The PS4 comes with everything you need to play real games. The Xbone is just a fancy TV remote.

gamerguy

Its not even a question!

Dylan Harris

Real gamers don’t care about kinect? Excuse me, who put you in charge of the video game nerds? The kinect has plenty of potential, and just because your a dumb dick who doesn’t see the potential doesn’t mean its bad. Being able to use motion controls and voice controls can add to a game. Real gamers my ass. Its punks like you that are ruining video games, content with having the same crap but with just better graphics. I can easier argue that that is the last thing real gamers want, jerk

gamerguy

No gamer wants shittier graphics! That was the dumbest thing you said!

brosnan

PS4 > Xbox TV

Dylan Harris

Don’t be a ignorant douche. TV is just one feature the Xbox does. Unlike the ps4 where it can only really do…just games. There are millions who do more then just game, and many don’t want to spend 400 on just a upgraded ps3. Not to mention there E3 sucked, they literally only showed 2 exclusive a, where the rest (final fantasy, kingdom hearts, etc) are all coming to One as well.

brosnan

A standard TV lets you watch TV without problem as well, and you have to pay for Xbox live to use any of its services xD
Sony’s E3 might have not been the best, but their presentation at February was great imo, while Microsoft’s presentation about their TV box sucked, imo

gamerguy

Dylan is a fucking xbot idiot!

gamerguy

Bloody hell dude, have some humor for fucks sake! And NO, Kingdom Hearts and the FF they showed at the Sony reveal are BOTH exclusives – but I wouldn’t expect an ignorant like you who doesn’t know the difference between ‘their’ and ‘there’ to understand. Douche!

gamerguy

One thing people ALWAYS forget to mention is, the XB1 HDD is only 500GB (pathetic size when they expect you install all your games, record TV, and record games) and CANNOT be swapped out for a larger one! That HDD is gonna fill up so fast, its going to be pointless to use it as a DVR! PS4 can change the HDD just like the PS3.

Sadist

I want a console that can play games, and do other functions like tv, music, movies, Skype…for those who want to just game I guess that’s cool, but there are those of us that are older than 15 that want a multimedia device that plays games

DarthDiggler

Given that you get a version of Drive Club for free with PS+ and you get tons of other freebies, PS+ will have paid for itself and the console by Christmas 2014.

Counterproductive

Don’t forget the additional cost of the $30 Play & Charge kit for the Xbox One if you want wireless controllers. PS4 controllers have Lithium-Ion batteries out of the box.

Nuttydeluxe

Holy shit shut the fuck up lol, you sound so corny talking about oh this ones better, this one does this yada yada. If you like ps4 that’s great lol, proud of you, then like ps4 but you sound like a fuckin nerd saying things like the “TV box”. They will both be good consoles so get your panties out of a bunch and just play which ever one you get. It seems as if fanboys of either ms or Sony just need to reassure themselves that they’re making the right choice of which console to buy by bashing the opposing console lol. Take a minute, step back and look at how stupid you look. Nerds….